Libreville, Gabon – April 27, 2018: African Union (AU) Member States have been urged to accelerate the implementation of the National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) to achieve the AU 2014 Malabo Declaration on Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation (3AGT) goals and targets.
The call was made at the 14th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform, which is happening after an epic experience in investing in mutual accountability through the AU led Biennial Review process on Malabo implementation that tracked AU Member States’ progress based on a set of 43 indicators. The lessons garnered since 2014 in developing an African homegrown model to track performance and report on progress is a huge milestone for Africa and an innovative method to encourage ownership of the CAADP and Malabo process in driving transformation in the agriculture sector in a sustainable manner. The inaugural BR was presented to the AU Heads of State and Government at their January 2018 Summit in Addis Ababa.
CAADP seeks to drive an African continental agricultural revolution by increasing investments in agribusiness and agrifood value chains, improving national and regional agricultural markets, fostering Africa’s collective food security and improving the management of natural resources. The structure of the NAIP is based on a review of the agricultural sector; the modeling of investments required to ensure annual agriculture growth of at least 6% and the allocation of at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture.
It is on this pertinent premise that this year’s PP is anchored. The PP was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Gabon, H.E Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet who acknowledged the importance of mutual accountability as provided for in the Biennial Review process, as it offers indicators for countries to use as a benchmark for agriculture transformation.
Also speaking at the opening session, AUC’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Josefa Sacko reiterated that while the Biennial Review Report revealed that the continent as a whole is not on track to achieve the Malabo Declaration by 2025, formulating Malabo compliant NAIPs, mobilizing and investing in priority areas identified in the NAIPs while strengthening systemic capacity for implementation and coordination would remedy the situation.
“Our wish as AU is that by the time we start the second round of the biennial review process in 2019, all Member States will have domesticated the Malabo Declaration in their NAIPs using the tools for evidence based planning,” she said.
The AU Biennial Review Report on Malabo implementation, and the NAIPs Toolkit, were further launched and distributed to participants; as tools to support Member States to mobilize investments in country agriculture, proposing the right coordination mechanisms of the key stakeholders and accounting for actions.
Commissioner Sacko urged all stakeholders to support AU Members States in formulating and/or enhancing their NAIPs, the basis of which the next continental report would be produced, emphasising that, “Renewed partnerships built on mutual accountability will help governments, the private sector, civil society, farmers and farmers organizations as well as development partners to deliver on results and impact for a transformed Agriculture to reach the targets set by the Malabo Declaration.” (The complete speech is available on www.au.int).
The CAADP PP, brings together over 400 leaders from African Governments, including parliamentarians from AU Member States, leaders from international organisations; development partners; private agribusiness firms, farmers, NGOs and civil society organizations.
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For more information contact:
Ms. Carol Jilombo
African Union Commission
Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture
E-mail: Jilomboc@africa-union.org
